Nigeria, yesterday, called for urgent action to end terrorism, piracy and trafficking along the African Atlantic coast.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, made the call while stating Nigerias position at the First Ministerial Conference of African Atlantic States, in Rabat, Morocco.
The minister, who was also a lead presenter of the decisions of African countries on: Political Dialogue, Security and Safety, said the spread of terrorism, drugs and piracy were threats to be contained.
He urged all African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean to collaborate in order to stem maritime threats for better economic development of the region.
Onyeama said that concerted efforts at capacity-building and experience-sharing among Atlantic member countries would result in the implementation of customised solutions to the region.
Earlier in his address, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, said the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, called for a relaunch of the African Atlantic collaboration for peace and prosperity.
He said that climate vulnerability and food security had displaced over 1.5million people around the coast of West Africa.
Nigeria is one of the 23 African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Others are: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cte dIvoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroon. Also, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
The countries linked by this ocean are home to more than half of the African population and account for 55% of Africas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 57% of continental trade.
